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Lucas and Brodie have figured me out.  Now I just have to try not to be taken advantage of by my almost 2 year olds.  But no matter how many times I walk out and shut their door, I still feel like a mean Mommy.  I've tried so many things and nothing else seems to work.  So I tucked them into bed, gave them each a hug and kiss, walked out and shut their door. 

Today was the first time I walked out and shut the door during nap time that Brodie actually fell asleep.  Usually once the door is shut, he climbs into his brother's bed, crawls up on top of Lucas, and bites him until I come back into the room.  I have to rescue Lucas.  I know Brodie too well.  There is no other option.  Brodie is a spirited, focused, persistent, and determined child.   He is energized, and over flowing with smiles.  I hope I can help him learn to apply these attributes in a positive manner as he grows up. 

Brodie has been coughing with a runny nose and a moderate fever all week.  Day after day of checking his fever, keeping him cool, comfortable, and hydrated gets old.  Lucas was tired of staying home.  Brodie wasn't in the mood for much of anything.  So Thursday after naps, as I was checking Brodie's temperature I felt his forehead and took my hand away FAST as I said, "Oh, Hot, Hot.  You're Hot!"  Brodie smiled and laughed.  Lucas joined in on the fun, touching his brother and pulling his hand away fast saying, "Hot!"  Soon we were all laughing and giggling.  Brodie's fever was still in the 103 range, he still felt horrible, but was happy.  For some reason, in the midst of rolling around on the floor laughing and pretending Brodie was like a hot potato, Lucas squatted down, started quacking, and waddled around the room pretending to be a duck.  In the mean time, Brodie kept touching his forehead and saying, "Oh, Hot!"  Just a short diversion to the reality of being ill.  We've been staying home, playing indoors, and reading a lot of books this week, while Brodie recovers.  After attending an appointment at the Urgent Care Friday morning, his preliminary diagnosis is a double ear infection and pneumonia.  We are waiting for the doctor to review the results of his chest x-ray to determine how they are going to treat him. 

Our visit to get Brodie's chest x-ray was entertaining.  Brodie wasn't in the mood to sit any longer, since we had already spent most of our morning at the doctor's office.  I talked to Brodie explaining that we were going to take off his shirt, and they were going to take a picture of the inside of his chest.  He kept pulling his shirt up and saying, "Inside" as he pointed to his belly button.  When the time finally came, we headed into the x-ray room.  I wore a heavy  full length apron.  Brodie wore a miniature apron around his waist.  He climbed up onto the stool and sat facing what he thought was the camera waiting for the light.  Every time he saw the light, he made his "say cheese" face by scrunching up his entire face.  The first x-ray worked great.  The second one was more difficult be cause Brodie had to sit sideways, with his arms up over his head like Superman, while looking away from the light.   He was so enthralled with the light and making his "say cheese" face, I could barely get him to hold still in the correct position long enough to get the x-ray.  Finally, after several attempts, it worked.  The x-ray technician was so patient and sweet which helped make Brodie's first experience with getting an x-ray a positive one.  He smiled and signed, "Thank you" to the x-ray tech as we left the room to head home.   

Time flies whether you're having fun or not.  So, make it fun!   We started the month of July packing to leave for our trip to New York.  After being home a week, which gave us just enough time to catch up on laundry, Steve and I left for Oregon where we spent 4 days volunteering as mountain bike guides.  Lucas and Brodie spend the 4 days being spoiled and pampered with Grandma and Grandpa.  Once we were all back home together, the rest of the month was packed full of fun....ArtBeast, Fairytale Town, Sac Zoo, Sac Railroad Museum, several visits to parks with spray grounds, swimming at Grandma and Grandpa's house, playing with their friends, morning runs with Mommy, riding their big wheels, playing the sprinkler, and one of Lucas and Brodie's favorite days was spent painting and swimming at one of their friend's house.  Their paintings are hanging in the kitchen, so they can be admired daily.  The star, moon, and hand prints on their paintings are recognizable, but the rest is abstract...only to be interpreted by Lucas and Brodie themselves. If you ask them what they see, they'll tell you.  After all, they are the artists. 
August is only a day away, and the calendar looks just as busy.  In two weeks, Lucas and Brodie will be celebrating their two year birthdays.

Squish, pick, stomp, trip, chomp...green, purple, yellow, white, red; All describe Lucas and Brodie's visit to their friend's Garden.  Lucas and Brodie picked tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, crookneck, eggplant, peppers, and beans.  They ate a few tomatoes, and squished others.  They picked peppers, stomped through and chomped on some cucumbers.  They explored the garden, occasionally tripping as they walked.  They filled baskets and bags with fresh picked vegetables.  Then someone mentioned eating lunch, and we all made out way up to the house for bite to eat. 

Two words can mean a lot.  And the order in which they are said matters.

waffles eat
bike outside
eyes color
water blue
sun yellow
pool splash
slide fast
swing high
Mommy hand
airplane up
truck beep
Daddy bike

After a long night of flying, and three hours of sleep, I pedaled my way through the neighborhood pulling Lucas and Brodie behind my bike in their trailer.  Brodie was still on New York time, so he was asleep before we even left our driveway.  He thought it was 12 Noon, when really it was only 9AM in the morning.  Prime time for a bike ride. 

I have no idea how long Lucas slept, because the sun was so bright, I couldn't see into the trailer  as I rode along the bike trail. 

Just as I was cresting the top of the big bridge, crossing the American River, I heard a strange noise, pedaling became increasingly difficult, and I quickly realized I had a flat tire on the trailer. 

I pedaled slowly onto the grass under a large tree at River's Bend Park.  Lucas woke Brodie up, and I let the kids out to play, while I fixed the flat. 

Lucas and Brodie helped by staying close by.  Of course, they wanted to help more:  Lucas kept taking the pump away from me.  Brodie kept taking the flat tube and tossing it around.  They argued over who got to hold the flat tube.  They kept taking the tire irons and walking off with them.  Since we were not on a time schedule, it didn't matter how long it took to fix the flat. 

Once our flat was repaired, we ate our picnic lunch on the grass in the shade of the tree, loaded up, and pedaled back home before it got too hot outside.

The cause of our flat?  Stuck by a rhino horn!

First Airplane Trip

We put them to bed, then woke them up an hour later to drive to the airport.  Our flight to New York departed at 11:59 PM last Thursday.  Some how Brodie slept through being transferred in and out of his car seat, in and out of the stroller, and onto the plane. He woke up an hour before we landed in New York, very grumpy, but curious.  Lucas woke up when we arrived at the Sac International airport, and stayed awake until about 1 AM, when he finally fell asleep!  Lucas and Brodie were sprawled out tangled up on the empty seat between my husband and I.  They both tossed, turned, twisted, and fussed every so often, due to the uncomfortable sleeping conditions on the airplane.  My husband fell in and out of sleep throughout the flight.  I stayed awake the entire flight, trying to keep the kids comfortable, and to prevent them from falling off the seat.  7:25 AM we arrived in New York, and had a lay over at JFK Airport before we departed on our last leg of our journey.  Lucas and Brodie woke up hungry, irritable, yet energized.  11:31 AM (8 1/2 hours later), we finally arrived in Syracuse, New York, where we rented a car and drove to our relative's ranch in Adams, New York.

A bunch of Firsts for Lucas and Brodie

Attended their first wedding.  Cousin Lori's outdoor wedding in Watertown, NY.
*Brodie blew his first bubbles.  He even had bubbles come right out of his mouth he had so much bubble solution inside from his bubble blowing technique. 
Attended wedding reception in Alexandria Bay overlooking the St. Lawrence river
*Lucas did a belly flop and busted his lip open in the middle of the reception. 
*Brodie drank Shirley Temple's with cousin Kayla.  Luckily he had chewed his straw so hardly anything come out.  Otherwise, he would have been wired from all the sugar!
Visited Thousand Islands via the ferry boat tour
*visited Canada by water
*drove the ferry boat
*toured Bolt Castle
Lake Ontario
*played in the water and sand at the beach
Aunt Linda and Uncle Duane's House
*picked strawberries.  Wouldn't eat them at first, then loved them.  Brodie's faced was covered in strawberry juice in all the family reunion photos.  Brodie liked picking the strawberries better than eating them.  Lucas liked to hold the bucket and eat strawberries while everyone else picked them and put them in the bucket for safe keeping...but not safe from Lucas.
*picked red raspberries, but wouldn't eat them
*Brodie touched a honey bee
*Wagon ride in the rain
*Learned to swing on the big kid swings

A little humor

Lucas refused to touch his bare feet on the sandy beach.  He wasn't interested in getting his feet wet.  He loves swimming in a pool and the bath, but he wasn't so sure about Lake Ontario. 

Brodie ran into Lake Ontario, tripped, and did a belly flop into the water.  He stood up surprised and a bit frightened, but didn't cry.

Lucas and Brodie both caught air going down a big, big slide.

Brodie called Linda, "Lina" and Duane, "Dane."

AIr Flight Home to Sac

After another 8 1/2 hours of travel, we arrived in Sacramento.  Brodie woke up as the passengers were starting to unload the plane.  He opened his eyes, sat up, looked out the window and started yelling with all out enthusiasm, "Plane, Fly, Fly, Plane, Fly!"  Drowsy, sleep deprived passengers around us chuckled as they past by on their way out of the plane.  If only we all had so much energy when we first woke up from a long plane ride.
 

 

Some humorous moments this evening:  My parents were here playing with the kids while I packed for our upcoming trip.  I sat Lucas and Brodie down to eat dinner as my parents were leaving.  I remember looking at Lucas and Brodie from across the room and thinking:  "Look at my big boys, being so good, sitting there eating their food all by themselves."  Then all heck broke loose.  Lucas threw a handful of pasta on the floor.  As I reached for his plate, he tossed his milk cup through the air, which spilled all over the floor.  I then heard a squish, squish sound, and looked over at Brodie who had been eating his yogurt with a spoon.  He had dipped both fists in the yogurt bowl, and was squeezing his hands together squishing yogurt through his fingers, over and over again.  As I reached for his bowl, he started smearing yogurt all over his tray.  I had barely removed their plates, cups, utensils, when they both started saying in unison, "Up! Up! Up!" I grabbed a dish towel to clean Brodie's hands.  Then used a damp paper towel to clean their hands before I removed them one at a time, by carrying them through the kitchen into the playroom.  I wasn't about to give them the opportunity to make an even larger mess than they already had. 

Bath time was a little earlier than planned.  I had to pee, and Lucas and Brodie wanted to go with me.  Once we were in the bathroom, Lucas said, "Diaper off." and started taking his shorts off.  Brodie then took his shorts off, and starting removing his diaper.  It's great that they have learned to pull their shorts down, but I don't want to encourage their ability to remove their diapers.  They like to be completely naked while sitting on their pottys.  Anyway,  they were sitting on their pottys, while I read them Once Upon A Potty, their favorite potty time book.  Brodie kept standing up, walking around, sitting back down on his potty.  Lucas just sat there, but perched on the edge of his potty chair.  Apparently he didn't like the way his potty chair felt on his bottom this evening.....who knows, as he has never sat like that before.  Brodie usually pees in his potty at least once a day, before bath time, but this evening, OOOPS!  He peed on the floor.  But he was still so excited that he peed, he did a little pee, pee dance, and happily pulled the step stool out to wash his hands.  Lucas and I gave Brodie a hip hooray!  Then washed Brodie's hands, finished reading the potty book.  Then I washed Lucas's hands, and Brodie's hands again.  Since they were naked, I went ahead and gave them their baths early. 
After their baths, they walk into their bedroom wearing their towels.  Usually I either have help from my husband, or Brodie lays on the changing pad, and Lucas on a pillow, but this evening, the both wanted to lay on my lap.  The problem with that is, they both won't fit, and since neither of them are feeling all that great, they didn't want to touch each other.  Whining pursued.  Eventually they worked it out and found their own comfy space so I could diaper them and dress them in their PJ's.  Ah!  They're asleep.  Now I'm going to sleep.  They woke up so early this morning, I only go 6 hours of sleep.  Plus they woke up several times due to them not feeling well. 

Hot! And I'm not referring to the weather.  Lucas and Brodie have fevers.  Lucas peaked out at 103.8.  Brodie has stayed constant around 100.  Thankfully the weather cooled a bit, because they still wanted to play outside, ride their bikes, climb, slide, and play in the water at the park.  Lucas would occasionally ask to come inside to cool off, lay around and rest.  Neither of them have much of an appetite, but they keep drinking lots of fluids.  Other than being hot, short tempered, and Lucas taking random rest breaks, they were both on the go all day.  It seemed like they were afraid if they stopped they might miss something, or possibly fall asleep.  They went to bed almost an hour early tonight.  (Yes, it's amazing!  For those of you who know the sleep history around here,  Lucas climbed into bed himself.  They were both asleep in their own beds within 5 minutes.  Brodie held onto my finger until he fell asleep.) 

Over the last few days, Lucas and Brodie have been talking up a storm.  Lucas has been using words to describe his trucks and trains driving up, down, over, under, and through a tunnel.  Brodie is using two and three word sentences.  When I hear them talking, I almost can't believe my ears. Sometimes I can't distinguish who said what.  I'm still getting use to their own individual voices.  One of Brodie's favorite things to say while we are driving is "Go car, go!"  When a car, truck, or motorcycle drives by us, they both say, "fast!" Everyday they surprise me.  Who knows what they are going to say next!